Happy 2016! :-D Before we get to my annual friendly home owner reminders for your Spring Maintenance....

Please don't forget that if you are wondering about the current value of your home, to call or email me. I am happy to help as I know that many people who purchased in 2014, or before have a lot more equity in their home than they realize. If you, or anyone you know, are thinking about selling and/or buying...well, you know where I am, and I'm always happy to help your next home adventure! :-D

We are now offering home seller classes as well....just in case you, or someone you know needs it. The current market is crazy... and there is a low inventory of homes for sell and high buyer demand as folks want to buy before interest rates start soaring...which we think they will late next year, or early 2018.

Now...for your spring maintenance reminders...

* Replace the batteries in your smoke detectors. By replacing the batteries now you won't have to worry about that annoying beeping that happens when one of them is going out.

* Carbon Monoxide detectors...yep, every home should have one on each level. Remember that carbon monoxide is a heavy gas so your carbon monoxide detectors should be no higher than your knee. If you are thinking about selling... this is a legal requirement for appraisal. * Another legal requirement if you are thinking about selling is two 'earthquake straps' around your water heater strapping it to the wall. These can be purchased at your local Home Depot or Lowes.

* Don't forget to clean out the weep holes in your vinyl windows. This is easily forgotten about, or missed in our spring cleaning, but the opposite of out is in. Those weep holes in the base of your windows helps wind driven moisture to exit out instead of into your walls.

* Thinking about your windows.... look at your caulking around the inside of the windows...is it cracking? Is it time to re-caulk the inside of your windows?

* ...And caulking? What about around your toilets, tubs, and showers? Is it time to caulk there as well? You don't water seeping down in there. :-) A DIY trick for caulking is to put the line of caulking in place, put some liquid soap on your finger, and then use that finger to run over the caulking. This helps keep it nice, neat, clean....and none of that 'clumping' look. See....full of usefull (to some people anyway) knowledge here. LOL

* Put Moss-B-Gone on your roof to prevent moss growth on your roofing surface. Moss-B-Gone or Moss Out can be purchased at Costco (when in stock), Lowes, or Home Depot. It is a white powder that you can sprinkle on your roof. If you don't want to do that, another option is to install a zinc copper stripping along the ridgeline of your home. This is another option for homeowners to prevent moss growth.

* How is your roof looking? We have had some crazy wind storms this past winter. Do you have any loose or missing shingles? Now is a good time to have a roofer come out and fix those....and to see how healthy your roof still is.

* Do you have a chimney? Have a chimney person clean and inspect the flue....might also want to check your flashing around the chimney.

* While you are up there, now is a good time to clean out your gutters if you didn't do that when hanging christmas lights, and talking about christmas lights, now is a good time to finish getting those down, and to clean out the gutters. :-)

* Check for loose or leaky gutters as well. Make sure your downspouts are draining away from your crawlspace.

* Check under your home for moisture as this is a good time of year to see that. If you do have moisture under your home, do not despair....this can be fixed. Give me a call... I know people who can help with that.

* Another place to check is in your attic space for any possible leaks that you may not be aware of until it is too late.

* Is your yard looking a little 'sparse' in areas? Now is a great time to throw down some grass seed as the sun/rain mix that is our incoming temperamental spring weather is perfect for grass growth. What about low areas in your yard where the ground may have compacted? Grab a couple of bags of dirt for these areas.

* Turn on your outside faucets to make sure they are flowing right. Remember if you can stop the flow of water with your thumb you might have a damaged pipe. How does your garden hose look? ...is it time for a new one?

* We know it won't be long until we're all complaining about the heat. If you have a central air unit, or a heat pump, you should consider having a HVAC person come out to provide annual servicing before it gets warm.

* Insurances:Do you have earthquake insurance? Earthquake insurance is not included in your regular home owners insurance. This is an additional policy that can be added at a low yearly cost. Earthquake insurance used to be part of the homeowners insurance policy, but due to the fact that we are one of the top areas at earthquake risk, it is now an additional policy.

Do you have an umbrella policy? An umbrella policy is an additional coverage....a 'just in case' policy that covers you above & beyond your regular policy. If you do a lot of driving, like I do, with people in the car...an umbrella policy might be a good idea. If you have dogs, an umbrella policy might be a good idea. If you do a lot of entertaining, or having people/children over, then an umbrella policy might be a good idea. Why? If you are not at home (or even if you are at home) and someone hurts themselves on your property, they 'could' sue you. Isn't that crazy???

Ok....there is a couple of items for your next nice weekend, or days off to get done. :-) As always, if you are looking for a licensed contractor for roofing, HVAC, plumbing, or anything else, feel free to email, text, or call me anytime. I always have numbers of people who can help...and usually cheaper too! :-D I am always here to help....

Thank you again for all your referrals, and for your continued support!

“Interested in free and non promotional home seller classes? Go to www.freehomebuyerclasses.com for local upcoming classes, or facebook: Tracie DeMars Real Estate for my home adventure education blog.”

"Listen to the mustn'ts, child. Listen to the don'ts. Listen to the shouldn'ts, the impossibles, the won'ts. Listen to the never haves, then listen close to me... Anything can happen, child. Anything can be." - Shel Silverstein, American poet, cartoonist and composer, (1930 - 1999).

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Tracie DeMarsreal estate broker with Re/Max

I have been in real estate for about 15 years now, and I have seen the market up, down, and now going up again. I teach the Clark County Free Community Classes for Home Buyers & Home Sellers to help buyers learn about the loan, and home buying process; and sellers to learn about the paperwork and process of selling a home. We are volunteers, and have no affiliations so we are able to tell it like it is...with no sugarcoating. The pros, the cons, we tell it all in a fun, engaging, direct manner that encourages class attendee interaction and involvement. Classes are free and non-promotional and held at community locations. Walk -ins are welcome and all are invited. ​Whether you're buying or selling a home, Education should always be your first step! **we now offer Home SELLER classes too, by reservation. It is a sellers market out there, and the classes are designed to go over all the paperwork, the 'right' questions to ask, how to make sure your agent is really working for you, what a CMA (comparable market analysis) is, and what is considered a comparable home....and going over the settlement statement. What are the fees? What are you going to net???